Bee brooder



June 10, 1952 1', BENNETT 2,600,194

BEE BROODER Filed Aug. 50, 1949 Patented June 10, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y 4- 2,600,194 t 'Y r- Y 'v j 7 BEE BROODER Twiggs Bennett, Amite,l La. Application August 30, 1949, Serial No. 113,218

This invention relates to a honey bee brooder and it is an object of the invention to provide a brooder which allows the placing therein of one or more whole hives.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a brooder of this kind to receive the whole hive or hives and wherein automatically controlled heating means are provided for maintaining, when desired, the temperature at a static level both within and surrounding the hive to stimulate the queen as well as the brood to obtain 4faster development of the hive, or nuclear. The invention also has for an object toprovide a brooder which will hasten the production of worker bees as well as the volume of the bees produced by a single hive, and more especially for the quick production of queen bees, or nuclear.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved honey bee brooder, whereby certain advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a honey` parts in plan.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the honey bee brooder comprises a housing including a bottom panel B, a top panel T, a front panel F, a back panel P and side panels S1.

The bottom panel B and the top panel T are substantially of the same construction. Each of these panels is herein disclosed as rectangular in plan within the marginal portions defined by the depending flanges I.

The front and back panels F and P slightly inward of their side or edges are provided on the inner faces with the cleats 2 which are abutted by the side marginal portions of the side panels The rear panel P has its major portion 4 cut out i' 1 Claim. (Cl. 6 1) to provide an entrance to allow a honey bee hive to be readily placed within or removed from the housing. This entrance extends from the bottom of the panel P to a point closely adjacent the top end thereof and also extends from a point closelyadjacent to one side of the panel P entirely across to the opposite side. y Y

The entrance opening 4 is closed by an irnperforated door 5 which when in closed position,

tightly enages within the opening 5 witha side marginal portion overlapping and contacting the adjacent vertical edge of the side panel S at the open side of the opening 4. The opposite marginal portion of the door 5 is hingedly connected, at 6, to the adjacent relatively narrow portion I of the panel P. The door 5 swings outwardly when moving into open position and the closing movement of the door is limited by contact of the door "with the free vertical edge portion of the side panel S, of the opening 4.

One of the side panels S in its upper part is provided with the openings 8 and 8a. Exteriorly of the side wall S and disposed over the openings 8, 8a is a box 9, the inner face of which being open to assure communication between the interior of the housing and the interior of the box 9 through the said openings 8. The outer wall I 0 of the box 9 is preferably glass or transparent to allow visual access therein. This wall or panel I0 is readily slidable into or out of position to permit access within the box 9 as desired and particularly to adjust the regulating contact I2 comprised in the circuit maker or breaker. Coacting with the contact I2 is a thermostatic contact I4 herein disclosed of a wafer type.

Resting on the bottom panel B is an electric heater H of any desired type, a sub floor of copper screen just above heater or hive bottom so that a hive or hives placed within its brooder may be conveniently placed thereon.

The heater H has in communication therewith the conductors a and b. The conductor a passes out through the opening 8 and is in electric connection with the thermostatic contact I4. The contact b passes out through the opening 8a and is electrically connected with one of the contacts of a conventional switch Ida mounted on a wall of the box 9 and arranged exteriorly thereof. The second contact of the switch |411 is eleotrically connected by the conductor c with the contact I2. The contact I2 as herein set forth, comprises a headed member threading through a bracket within the box 9 but mounted on the adjacent panel S of the brooder.

Connected in parallel with the conductors q 3 and b by the conductors d is a tell tale light I6 positioned within the box 9 but mounted on the panel S.

The lower portion of the panel F is provided thereacross with an entrance slot I'I and extending outwardly from the panel F along the lower margin of the slot Il is a landing platform I8.

The contact l2 is adjusted in accordance with temperature desired to have maintained Within the broo'derand which' temperature is maintained automatically` ata static level'with'inv the brooder both Within and surrounding the hive or hives placed within the broeder. This is of advantage as such static temperature stimulates the queen as well as the brood and results in a faster de'- velopment of the hive which would naturally be retarded when the temperature is too low.

Interposed in the conductorl c is a conventional dial controlled rheostat I9 and supported within the housing is a reticulated sub-hoor or bottom i 2.0.-.plree1alz1ya wir?, meshofderedsuage This Subt-90? heiem 2l!Y is .showgirl .the acmstaying drawings` essubsteeellv Hush with the top surface of they platform IB and in a plane belswth' entrance 810ML Y o Y From the foregoing description itis thought to be obvious that a bee broeder constructed in ac'- QQrdan-,e with my invention' is fprtslarlvwell adapted for use by reason oi-the convenience and f o'prated.

In a honey bee broeder, a rectangular housing eilityL- with which it may 'beassenbled and l having one of its sides open, a hinged closure for said open side, a flat electric heating element supported within and on the bottom of said housing, one of the other sides of said housing having an opening adjacent the top end thereof, a second housing mounted on the outer side of the said one side and enclosing said opening, a thermostat Within said second housing immediately in front of said opening for controlling an electric current supply to said heating element,l the side of the first housing opposite" from said hinged closure having an entrance opening spaced above the plane of the top side of said heating element, a landing platform mounted on the outer side of the latter side of the first housing immediately belowr said entrance opening, and a false bottom of a wire mesh within the rst housing spaced above the top side of said heating element and substantially in line with the bottom side of said entrance opening.

TW IGGS BENNETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of rebord in`- the file' of this patent:

UNITEDV STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 702,833 Vogele'r June 17,- 1902 l,889,184 Siemers Nov. 29,1932 2,232,343 Sauter Feb. I3; 1941 2,434,090 Alton Jan. 6', 1.948 2,506,118 'Taylor i May 2,1950 

